; 


H'n 


GARRISON'S     POEMS 


SONNETS 


OTHER    POEMS, 


BY 


WILLIAM  LLOYD   GARRISON. 


1  O  my  brethren  !    I  have  told 
Most  BITTER  TRUTH,  but  without  bitterness. 
Nor  deem  my  zeal  or  factious  or  mis-timed ; 
For  never  can  true  courage  dwell  •with  them, 
Who,  playing  tricks  with  Conscience,  dare  not  look 
At  their  own  vices.'— COLERIDGE. 


BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED  BY  OLIVER  JOHNSON, 

And   Sold   at  25    Cornhill. 
1843. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1843, 

BY  OLIVER  JOHNSON, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


OLIVER  JOHNSON,    PRINTER, 

47  Court  Street. 


TO    THE    READER. 


THE  compiler  of  this  volume,  a  short  time  since,  announced  his  inten 
tion  to  publish  a  volume  of  Selections,  in  Poetry  and  Prose,  from  the 
Writings  of  WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON.  On  examination,  he  found  a 
much  greater  amount  and  variety  of  Poetry  than  he  anticipated  ;  and 
being  impressed  with  a  conviction  that  Mr.  GARRISON'S  numerous  friends 
and  admirers  would  be  glad  to  see  it  in  a  separate  volume,  for  cheap  cir 
culation,  as  well  as  embodied  in  a  larger  work,  he  has  ventured  to  pub 
lish  it  in  its  present  form. 

For  the  publication  of  these  Poems,  Mr.  GARRISON  is  not  otherwise 
responsible  than  in  having  kindly  given  his  consent  to  it,  for  the  personal 
gratification  of  his  friends.  They  are  simply  the  unstudied  effusions  of 
hours  given  to  relaxation  from  the  arduous  labors  arising  from  his  con 
nexion  with  the  Anti- Slavery  Enterprise  ;  and  were  written  without  any 
thought  of  their  being  collected  together  in  a  volume.  Having  made  no 
pretensions,  therefore,  to  be  considered  a  Poet,  he  may  justly  claim  to  be 
measured  by  his  own  standard,  rather  than  by  that  of  the  critic.  In  the 
judgment  of  the  compiler,  however,  the  contents  of  this  volume  will  not 
only  bear  the  test  of  candid  criticism,  but  secure  for  the  author  an  honor 
able  place  among  the  Poets  of  our  country. 

Mr.  GARRISON  has  been  widely  denounced,  by  the  enemies  of  Chris 
tian  Reform,  (absurd  and  monstrous  as  is  the  charge,)  as  an  '  infidel ' !— 


993026 


VI 


This  has  been  done  mainly  to  destroy  his  influence  as  an  Abolitionist. 
His  calumniators  know  that  they  testify  falsely,  and  that  his  religious 
views  partake  of  a  highly  spiritual  and  devotional  character ;  while  the 
productions  of  his  pen  are  marked  by  an  exalted  estimate  of  the  power 
and  efficacy  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  It  is  believed  that  the  sentiments 
contained  in  this  compilation  will  commend  themselves  to  the  judgement, 
conscience  and  taste  of  the  Christian  reader,  and  serve  to  disabuse  the 
public  mind  in  relation  to  the  man  whose  catholic  motto  is,  '  MY  COUNTRY 

IS  THE   WORLD  J     MY   COUNTRYMEN  ARE   ALL  MANKIND.' 

The  compiler  wishes  it  to  be  distinctly  understood,  that  this  volume  is 
not  intended  to  supersede  the  larger  work  which  he  some  time  since  an 
nounced  his  intention  to  publish,  but  rather  to  open  a  channel  for  its  wider 
circulation,  whenever  it  shall  be  practicable  to  lay  it  before  the  public. 

Boston,  May  1, 1843. 


CONTENTS. 


PACK. 

Universal  Emancipation 9 

Persecution 12 

True  Courage 13 

To  a  Friend 14 

Invocation  to  Spring 15 

Dedicatory  Lines  to  Liberty 17 

Song  of  the  Abolitionist 21 

To  an  Infant 24 

Hope  for  the  Enslaved 25 

Earthly  Fame 29 

Liberty 30 

Fourth  of  July 31 

The  Guiltless  Prisoner 34 

New- Year's  Day 35 

May  Day 37 

To  William  Ladd 41 

To  my  Wife 42 

To  the  same 43 

To  my  First-Born 44 


Vlll 


To  Benjamin  Lundy 48 

To  the  memory  of  the  same 49 

On  Leaving  my  Native  Land 50 

The  Prince  of  Philanthropists 51 

Harriet  Martineau 54 

To  Elizabeth  Pease 55 

On  the  Death  of  James  Cropper 56 

Christian  Rest 57 

The  Bible 64 

The  True  Church 65 

Holy  Time  66 

Worship  67 

Freedom  of  the  Mind 68 

To  the  Hon.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen 69 

Liberty  for  All 72 

Liberty  and  Slavery 73 

To  Isaac  T.  Hopper 77 

On  Completing  my  Thirtieth  Year 78 

On  Completing  my  Thirty-fifth  Year 79 

To  April 80 

Independence  Day 81 

West  India  Emancipation 85 

On  the  Death  of  a  Friend  88 

The  Poor  Debtor 89 

To  my  Birth- Place  92 

The  Kneeling  Slave 93 

To  Sleep   94 

The  New  Year 95 

The  Dying  Year 96 


POEMS. 


UNIVERSAL  EMANCIPATION. 


I. 

THOUGH  distant  be  the  hour,  yet  come  it  must  — 

Oh !  hasten  it,  in  mercy,  righteous  Heaven ! 
When  Afric's  sons,  uprising  from  the  dust, 

Shall  stand  erect  —  their  galling  fetters  riven ; 

When  from  his  throne  Oppression  shall  be  driven, 
An  exiled  monster,  powerless  through  all  time ; 

When  freedom — glorious  freedom,  shall  be  given 
To  every  race,  complexion,  caste,  and  clime, 
And  Nature's  sable  hue  shall  cease  to  be  a  crime ! 
2 


10  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

It 

Wo  if  it  come  with  storm,  and  blood,  and  fire, 
When  midnight  darkness  veils  the  earth  and  sky  ! 

Wo  to  the  innocent  babe  —  the  guilty  sire  — 
Mother  and  daughter  —  friends  of  kindred  tie  ! 
Stranger  and  citizen  alike  shall  die  ! 

Red-handed  Slaughter  his  revenge  shall  feed, 
And  Havoc  yell  his  ominous  death-cry, 
And  wild  Despair  in  vain  for  mercy  plead  — 

While  Hell  itself  shall  shrink,  and  sicken  at  the 
deed! 

Ill 

Thou  who  avengest  blood !  long-suffering  Lord  ! 

My  guilty  country  from  destruction  save  ! 
Let  Justice  sheath  his  sharp  and  terrible  sword, 

And  Mercy  rescue,  e'en  as  from  the  grave ! 

O,  for  the  sake  of  those  who  firmly  brave 
The  lust  of  Power  —  the  tyranny  of  Law  — 

To  bring  redemption  to  the  perishing  slave  — 
Fearless,  though  few  —  Thy  presence  ne'er  with 
draw, 

But  quench  the  kindling  flames  of  hot,  rebellious 
War! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  11 

IV. 

And  ye  —  sad  victims  of  base  Avarice  ! 

Hunted  like  beasts,  and  trodden  like  the  earth ; 
Bought  and  sold  daily,  at  a  paltry  price  — 

The  scorn  of  tyrants,  and  of  fools  the  mirth  — 

Your  souls  debased  from  their  immortal  birth ! 
Bear  meekly  —  as  ye've  borne  —  your  cruel  woes ; 

Ease  follows  pain;  light,  darkness;  plenty,  dearth 
So  time  shall  give  you  freedom  and  repose, 
And  high  exalt  your  heads  above  your  bitter  foes ! 


V. 

Not  by  the  sword  shall  your  deliverance  be  ; 

Not  by  the  shedding  of  your  masters'  blood ; 
Not  by  rebellion  —  or  foul  treachery, 

Upspringing  suddenly,  like  swelling  flood : 

Revenge  and  rapine  ne'er  did  bring  forth  good. 
God's  time  is  best !  — nor  will  it  long  delay : 

Even  now  your  barren  cause  begins  to  bud, 
And  glorious  shall  the  fruit  be !  —  Watch  and  pray, 
For,  lo !  the  kindling  dawn,  that  ushers  in  the  day  ! 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


12  GARRISON'S   FOEMS. 


PERSECUTION. 


O  PERSECUTION  !  fearful  as  thou  art, 

With  scowling  brow,  and  aspect  stern  and  rude, 
Thy  hands  in  blood  of  Innocence  imbrued, 
Wrung,  drop  by  drop,  from  many  a  tortured  heart,  — 
Why  should  we  dread  thy  gibbet,  axe,  or  stake  ? 
Thou  dost  our  faith,  our  hope,  our  courage  try, 
And  mak'st  us  valiant  where  we  thought  to  fly  : 
Through  thee,  the  crown  of  Victory  we  take. 
Thy  fires  but  purify  our  gold  from  dross ; 
Once  undiscerned,  our  value  now  appears, 
Which  shall,  at  interest,  increase  with  years ; 
So  do  we  gain  by  thee,  nor  suffer  loss :  — 
'Twere  base  to  sacrifice  the  TRUTH,  to  save 
Our  names  from  foul  reproach  —  our  bodies  from 
the  grave. 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  13 


TRUE  COURAGE. 


I  BOAST  no  courage  on  the  battle-field, 

Where  hostile  troops  immix  in  horrid  fray ; 
For  Love  or  Fame  I  can  no  weapon  wield, 

With  burning  lust  an  enemy  to  slay :  — 
But  test  my  spirit  at  the  blazing  stake, 

For  advocacy  of  the  RIGHTS  OF  MAN, 
And  TRUTH  —  or  on  the  wheel  my  body  break ; 

Let  Persecution  place  me  'neath  its  ban ; 
Insult,  defame,  proscribe  my  humble  name ; 

Yea,  put  the  dagger  to  my  naked  breast ; 
If  I  recoil  in  terror  from  the  name, 

Or  recreant  prove  when  Peril  rears  its  crest, 
To  save  a  limb,  or  shun  the  public  scorn  — 
Then  write  me  down  for  aye,  Weakest  of  woman 
born! 


14  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


TO  A  FRIEND. 


FRIEND  of  mankind !  for  thee  I  fondly  cherish 

Th'  exuberance  of  a  brother's  glowing  love ; 
And  never  in  my  memory  shall  perish 

Thy  name  or  worth  —  so  time  shall  truly  prove  ! 

Thy  spirit  is  more  gentle  than  a  dove, 
Yet  hath  an  angel's  energy  and  scope ; 

Its  flight  is  towering  as  the  heaven  above, 
And  with  the  outstretched  earth  doth  bravely  cope. 
Thou  standest  on  an  eminence  so  high, 

All  nations  congregate  around  its  base ; 
There,  with  a  kindling  soul  and  piercing  eye, 

The  wrongs  and  sufferings  of  thy  kind  dost  trace  : 
Thy  country  is  the  world  —  thou  know'st  no  other  — 
And  every  man,  in  every  clime,  thy  brother ! 


15 


INVOCATION  TO   SPRING. 


I. 

O  LINGER  not,  thou  bright  and  sunny  Spring  — 
Fair  Nature's  child !  companion  of  glad  hours  ! 

But  o'er  the  earth  thy  gorgeous  mantle  fling, 
And  hasten  onward  with  thy  buds  and  flowers  ! 

II. 

For  now  the  northern  storm  howls  drearily ; 

The  winds  are  piercing,  turbulent  and  loud ; 
Sadness  and  gloom  pervade  the  glorious  sky, 

And  all  things  wear  Decay's  pale,  fearful  shroud. 


16  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Ill 

Come,  mild  Deliverer !  with  thy  magic  spells 
Release  th'  imprisoned  fount  and  sheeted  stream ; 

Forests  and  mountains,  wasted  groves  and  dells, 
From  the  strong  arm  of  wintry  Death  redeem. 

IV. 

Let  thy  sweet  form  be  seen  —  thy  thrilling  voice 
Peal  gently  on  the  ear  from  bough  and  brake ; 

Bid  Nature  in  her  loveliness  rejoice, 

And  all  her  slumbering  energies  awake ! 


17 


«flrt 

DEDICATORY  LINES  TO  LIBERTY. 


I. 
ANOTHER  year,  devoted  to  thy  cause, 

O  LIBERTY  !  has  swiftly  fled  away : 
Not  till  the  war  is  over  would  I  pause, 

Nor  for  my  spirit  seek  a  holiday : 

It  needs  none,  for  its  strength  knows  no  decay. 
This  is  no  time  for  loitering,  while  thy  foe, 

OPPRESSION,  seeks  thy  precious  life  to  slay: 
His  hand  is  raised  to  give  the  fatal  blow, 
That  he  may  gorge  himself  afresh  with  human  woe  ! 


18  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

II 
Dispensing  with  all  forms,  I  consecrate 

Anew,  this  day,  my  soul  to  God  and  thee, 
Reckless  of  what  may  be  my  earthly  fate  : 

For  this  I  know,  that  all  shall  yet  be  free, 

And  God  and  thou  shall  gain  the  victory. 
What  tho'  these  eyes  may  ne'er  behold  the  time  ? 

A  coming  age  shall  hail  the  jubilee, 
When  men  of  every  caste,  complexion,  clime, 
Shall  burst  their  chains,  and  stand  in  dignity  sublime. 


III. 
I  care  not,  tyrants  !  for  your  strength  or  power, 

Your  savage  mien,  your  more  than  savage  rage ; 
It  is  for  you,  not  for  myself,  to  cower ! 

Sustained  by  TRUTH  and  RIGHT,  I  dare  engage 
Your  fierce  array,  and  single  combat  wage. 
In  FREEDOM'S  cause  one  shall  a  thousand  chase. 
And  two  ten  thousand  drive  from  off  the  stage  ; 
The  brave  are  never  found  among  the  base  — 
Where  Innocence  is  bold,  Guilt  hides  his  crimson 
face! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  19 

IV. 
What  is  before  me,  Lord,  is  known  to  thee ; 

To  me  all  is  unknown,  except  thy  will, 
That  I  in  all  things  should  obedient  be, 

Come  weal  or  woe,  come  every  good  or  ill  — 

Nor  fear  those  who  the  body  only  kill. 
Thy  will  is  mine,  and  let  thy  will  be  done  ! 

Thy  light  and  love  my  spirit  sweetly  fill :  — 

Following  with  zeal  the  footsteps  of  thy  Son, 

With  martyrs  I  rejoice  the  Christian  race  to  run. 


V. 
E'en  to  this  hour,  to  public  gaze  I  stand, 

An  object  scorned,  rejected,  and  abhorred; 
And  for  my  labors  to  redeem  the  land, 

Reproach  and  infamy  are  my  reward : 

But  time  shall  justice  unto  me  accord. 
To  him  who,  for  Thy  sake,  takes  up  his  cross, 

Thy  promises  are  rich  and  sure,  O  Lord  !  — 
Fire  from  the  adulterate  ore  extracts  but  dross, 
But  the  pure  gold  sustains,  and  can  sustain,  no  loss. 


20  GARRISON'S   POEMS. 

VI 

Courage,  O  friends  !  a  thousand  fields  are  won  ! 

Ten  thousand  foes  lie  prostrate  in  the  dust ! 
Your  task,  though  onerous,  is  nearly  done ; 

Still  in  the  LORD  JEHOVAH  be  your  trust, 

And  victory  crowns  you,  for  your  cause  is  just ! 
All  yokes  and  manacles  shall  soon  be  riven ; 

The  monster  SLAVERY  shall  die  accursed ; 
Sweet  freedom  to  the  pining  thrall  be  given, 
And  a  grand  jubilee  be  kept  by  Earth  and  Heaven ! 

December  31, 1841. 


21 


SONG  OF  THE  ABOLITIONIST, 


I 

I  AM  an  Abolitionist ! 

I  glory  in  the  name ; 
Though  now  by  SLAVERY'S  minions  hissed, 

And  covered  o'er  with  shame : 
It  is  a  spell  of  light  and  power  — 

The  watchword  of  the  free  :  — 
Who  spurns  it  in  the  trial-hour, 

A  craven  soul  is  he ! 


22  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

II. 

I  am  an  Abolitionist ! 

Then  urge  me  not  to  pause ; 
For  joyfully  do  I  enlist 

In  FREEDOM'S  sacred  cause : 
A  nobler  strife  the  world  ne'er  saw, 

Th'  enslaved  to  disenthral ; 
I  am  a  soldier  for  the  war, 

Whatever  may  befall ! 

Ill 

I  am  an  Abolitionist ! 

Oppression's  deadly  foe ; 
In  God's  great  strength  will  I  resist, 

And  lay  the  monster  low ; 
In  God's  great  name  do  I  demand, 

To  all  be  freedom  given, 
That  peace  and  joy  may  fill  the  land, 

And  songs  go  up  to  heaven  ! 

IV. 

I  am  an  Abolitionist ! 

No  threats  shall  awe  my  soul  — 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  23 

No  perils  cause  me  to  desist  — 

No  bribes  my  acts  control ; 
A  freema  n  will  I  live  and  die, 

In  sunshine  and  in  shade, 
And  raise  my  voice  for  liberty, 

Of  nought  on  earth  afraid. 

V. 

I  am  an  Abolitionist  — 

The  tyrant's  hate  and  dread  — 
The  friend  of  all  who  are  oppressed  — 

A  price  is  on  my  head ! 
My  country  is  the  wide,  wide  world, 

My  countrymen  mankind :  — 
Down  to  the  dust  be  Slavery  hurled  ! 

All  servile  chains  unbind ! 


24  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


TO  AN  INFANT. 


FAIR  bud  of  being !  blossoming  like  the  rose  — 
Leaf  upon  leaf  unfolding  to  the  eye, 
In  fragrance  rich,  and  spotless  purity — 

That  hourly  dost  some  latent  charm  disclose  ;  — 

O  may  the  dews  and  gentle  rains  of  Heaven 
Give  to  thy  root  immortal  sustenance ; 
So  thou  in  matchless  beauty  shalt  advance, 

Nor  by  the  storms  of  life  be  rudely  driven. 

But  if,  O  envious  Death  !  this  little  flower 
Thou  from  its  tender  stem  untimely  break, 
An  Angel  shall  the  drooping  victim  take, 

And  quick  transplant  it  to  a  heavenly  bower ; 

Where  it  shall  flourish  in  eternal  Spring, 

Nurtured  beneath  the  eye  of  a  paternal  KING. 


25 


HOPE  FOR  THE  ENSLAVED. 


I. 

YE  who  in  bondage  pine, 
Shut  out  from  light  divine, 

Bereft  of  hope ; 

Whose  limbs  are  worn  with  chains, 
Whose  tears  bedew  our  plains, 
Whose  blood  our  glory  stains, 

In  gloom  who  grope : 

II 

Shout !  for  the  hour  draws  nigh, 
That  gives  you  liberty ! 
And  from  the  dust, 
So  long  your  vile  embrace, 
3 


26  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Uprising,  take  your  place 
Among  earth's  noblest  race  — 
By  right,  the  first! 


Ill 

The  night  —  the  long,  long  night 
Of  infamy  and  slight, 

Shame  and  disgrace, 
And  slavery,  worse  than  e'er 
Rome's  serfs  were  doomed  to  bear, 
Bloody  beyond  compare, 

Recedes  apace ! 


IV. 

See  !  in  the  East  breaks  forth, 
Kindling  the  West  and  North, 

The  glorious  dawn 
Of  FREEDOM'S  natal  day, 
That  shall  your  race  repay, 
And  in  pure  joy  outweigh 

Ages  of  scorn. 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  27 

V. 

For  every  tear  of  woe 
Ye've  shed  —  for  every  blow 

By  tyrants  given ; 
For  all  your  groans  and  sighs, 
Your  agonizing  cries, 
Piercing  the  far  off  skies, 

And  moving  Heaven :  — 

VI 

Impartial  Providence 
A  splendid  recompense 

Will  you  ensure : 
For  you,  wealth,  station,  fame, 
A  proud  and  deathless  name, 
And  the  World's  loud  acclaim, 

Time  shall  procure. 

VII. 

Lorn  Africa,  once  more, 
As  proudly  as  of  yore, 
Shall  yet  be  seen 
Foremost  of  all  the  earth, 


28  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

In  learning,  beauty,  worth  — 
By  dignity  of  birth, 

A  peerless  Queen ! 


VIII. 

Speed,  speed  the  hour,  O  Lord  ! 
Speak !  and,  at  thy  dread  word, 

Fetters  shall  fall 
From  every  limb  —  the  strong 
No  more  the  weak  shall  wrong, 
But  Liberty's  sweet  song 

Be  sung  by  all ! 


GARRISON'S  POEMS.        29 


EARTHLY  FAME. 


How  fall  FAME'S  pillars  at  the  touch  of  Time  I 

How  fade,  like  flowers,  the  memories  of  the  dead ! 
How  vast  the  grave  that  swallows  up  a  clime ! 

How  dim  the  light  by  ancient  glory  shed  ! 
One  generation's  clay  enwraps  the  next, 

And  dead  men  are  the  aliment  of  earth ; 
'  Passing  away,'  is  Nature's  funeral  text, 

Uttered  coevous  with  Creation's  birth. 
I  mourn  not,  care  not,  if  my  humble  name, 

With  my  frail  body,  perish  in  the  tomb ; 
It  courts  a  heavenly,  not  an  earthly  fame, 

That  through  eternity  shall  brightly  bloom : 
Write  it  within  thy  Book  of  Life,  O  Lord, 
And,  in  '  the  last  great  day,'  a  golden  crown  award ! 


GARRIS  ON     S     POEMS. 


LIBERTY. 


THY  cause,  O  LIBERTY  !  can  never  fail, 

Whether  by  foes  o'erwhelm'd,  or  friends  betray'd 

Then  be  its  advocates  of  nought  afraid ! 
As  GOD  is  true,  they  surely  shall  prevail. 
Let  base  oppressors  tremble  and  turn  pale  ! 

They,  they  alone,  may  justly  be  dismayed ; 

For  TRUTH  and  RIGHT  are  on  thy  side  arrayed. 
And  the  whole  world  shall  yet  thy  triumph  hail. 
No  blow  for  thee  was  ever  struck  in  vain  ; 

Thy  champions,  martyrs,  are  of  noble  birth ; 
Rare  honors,  blessings,  praises,  thanks,  they  gain, 

And  Time  and  Glory  magnify  their  worth  ! 
A  thousand  times  defeated,  thou  shalt  reign 

Victor,  O  LIBERTY,  o'er  all  the  earth ! 


31 


FOURTH   OF  JULY. 


HAUL  down  our  country's  banner  —  let  its  folds 
Be  gathered  in,  nor  float  upon  the  breeze  ! 
Our  Eagle  must  not  soar  aloft  to-day, 
But  close  his  wings,  and  stoop  his  lofty  crest ! 
Ye  '  red  artillery,'  your  thunders  hush ! 
Quench  out  the  thousand  fires  that  wildly  blaze 
Up  to  the  kindling  sky  from  field  and  hill ! 
It  is  not  meet  that  the  sweet  trumpet's  voice 
Should  rouse  our  sluggish  blood,  and  nerve  our  souls ! 
Forbear,  ye  vaunting,  fine-spun  orators,  — 
Ye  mincing  fools,  all  fustian,  noise  and  rant,  — 
To  wound  our  ears  with  sickening  rhapsodies  ! 
Be  hushed  the  general  shout  —  let  Sadness  brood 


32  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Over  the  land,  and  Joy  disperse  his  smiles ! 
For  LIBERTY  lies  prostrate  in  the  dust, 
With  hair  dishevelled,  and  with  zone  unbound  ; 
Her  cheeks  are  colorless,  save  when  a  blush 
Of  deepest  shame  doth  o'er  them  fitful  steal ; 
And  the  deep  brilliance  of  her  large,  fair  eyes 
Is  now  extinguished  in  a  flood  of  grief; 
For  here,  in  this  her  sanctuary  and  home, 
Hath  Slavery  boldly  raised  his  iron  throne ; 
And  MEN,  like  household  goods,  or  servile  beasts, 
Are  bought  and  sold,  kidnapped  and  pirated ; 
Branded  with  red  hot  irons,  scourged  with  whips  ; 
Laden  with  chains  that  pinch  their  tender  flesh ; 
Driven  in  droves  e'en  by  the  Capitol ; 
Imported  from  afar,  then  secretly 
Thrown  into  narrow  cells  and  prisons  drear, 
Till  bones  and  sinews  in  the  market  rise ; 
And  Government  looks  tamely  on  the  while, 
Nor  sheds  a  tear  of  generous  sympathy, 
Nor  moves  a  finger  to  relieve  th'  oppressed  ! 

Then  haul  our  striped  and  starry  banner  down ; 
Our  cannon  freight  not ;  stop  the  noisy  breath 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  33 

Of  heartless  patriotism ;  be  our  praise  unsung. 
To-day  we'll  not  discourse  of  British  wrong, 
Of  valorous  feats  in  arms  by  freemen  bold, 
Nor  spit  on  kings,  nor  tauntingly  call  names ; 
But  we  will  fall  upon  our  bended  knees, 
And  weep  in  bitterness  of  heart,  and  pray 
Our  God  to  save  us  from  his  gathering  wrath ; 
We  will  no  longer  multiply  our  boasts 
Of  liberty,  till  ALL  are  truly  free. 


34  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


THE  GUILTLESS  PRISONER. 


PRISONER  !  within  these  gloomy  walls  close  pent  — 

Guiltless  of  horrid  crime,  or  venial  wrong  — 
Bear  nobly  up  against  thy  punishment, 

And  in  thy  innocence  be  tall  and  strong ! 
Perchance  thy  fault  was  love  to  all  mankind ; 

Thou  didst  oppose  some  vile,  oppressive  law ; 
Or  strive  all  human  fetters  to  unbind ; 

Or  wouldst  not  bear  the  implements  of  war  :  — 
What  then  ?     Dost  thou  so  soon  repent  the  deed  ? 

A  martyr's  crown  is  richer  than  a  king's  ! 
Think  it  an  honor  with  thy  Lord  to  bleed, 

And  glory  'midst  intensest  sufferings  ! 
Though  beat  —  imprisoned  —  put  to  open  shame  — 
Time  shall  embalm  and  magnify  thy  name ! 


35 


NEW  YEAR'S  DAY. 


BRIGHTEST,  merriest  of  days  ! 
Welcomed  in  a  thousand  lays ! 
Not  a  heart  but  leaps  for  gladness, 
Not  a  brow  that's  veiled  in  sadness, 
Not  an  eye  that  beams  not  brighter, 
Not  a  step  that  is  not  lighter ! 
Day  of  joyful  hopes  and  wishes, 
Prodigal  of  gifts  and  kisses ; 
Want,  with  all  his  pining  brood, 
Leaps  and  sings  for  gratitude ; 
Nakedness  —  a  shivering  claimant  — 
Now  obtains  a  seemly  raiment ; 
Sorrow  wipes  her  tears  away, 


36  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

On  a  happy  New- Year's  Day; 
All  the  forms  of  sharp  distress, 
Charity's  fair  hand  doth  bless  ! 

What  awaits,  O  new-born  Year ! 
On  thy  brief,  untried  career  ? 
Pass  not,  till  the  world  is  free 
From  the  yoke  of  Tyranny ; 
Broken  be  th'  oppressor's  rod, 
In  the  dust  his  throne  be  trod ;  — 
Till  the  sea  of  human  blood 
Cease  to  roll  its  gory  flood, 
And  the  thundering  tones  of  War 
Echo  not  from  lands  afar ; 
Till  the  scourge  Intemperance, 
With  its  train,  is  banished  hence  : 
Pass  not  till,  from  sea  to  sea, 
CHRIST  shall  gain  supremacy ; 
Idols  to  the  bats  be  given  — 
In  their  stead,  the  Lord  of  heaven 
Be  consulted,  loved,  adored, 
By  a  guilty  race  restored ! 


37 


MAY    DAY. 


I. 

UP,  ye  slumberers,  one  and  all ! 

Welcome  in  the  smiling  May ! 
Hear  ye  not  her  thrilling  call? 

Will  ye  waste  in  bed  the  day  ? 
'Tis  a  morn  for  old  and  young, 
Prodigal  of  joy  and  song. 

II. 

See  !  the  watch-fires  of  the  night, 
One  by  one,  are  vanishing : 

What  a  glorious  tide  of  light 

Issues  from  Morn's  golden  spring ! 

Flooding  every  land  and  clime, 

Up  the  sun  goes  —  slow  —  sublime ! 


38  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Ill 
Birds  of  every  kind  and  hue 

Airily  are  glancing  by, 
And  with  notes  expressive,  true, 

Fill  the  air  with  melody : 
Who  would  lose  their  joyous  strain? 
Who,  inert,  abed  remain  ? 

IV. 

Maiden,  with  the  flashing  eye, 

Quench  its  brilliance  not  in  sleep ; 

Let  thy  blushes,  mounting  high, 
Shame  Aurora's  color  deep ; 

Gather  flowers  to  braid  thy  hair  — 

For  a  Queenly  state  prepare  ! 

V. 

Child,  absorbed  in  sportive  dream, 
Be  not  Slumber's  pretty  dupe ; 

Up,  and  drive  the  mimic  team, 
Fly  the  kite,  or  whirl  the  hoop ; 

Let  the  music  of  thy  mirth 

In  a  merry  shout  have  birth ! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  39 

VI. 

Youth,  in  sweetest  visions  lying, 
Building  worlds  with  busy  thought ; 

Now  exulting,  smiling,  sighing, 
O'er  the  labors  thou  hast  wrought ; 

Fairest  scenes,  by  Fancy  drawn, 

Cannot  match  so  fair  a  morn. 

VII. 

Manhood,  lift  thy  stately  head  — 

Stand  erect,  Creation's  lord ! 
Leave  the  couch  by  dalliance  spread  — 

O'er  thy  empire  walk  abroad ; 
Earth  and  sky  were  made  for  thee, 
Dressed  in  royal  pageantry ! 

VIII 

All  who  pine  in  secret  love, 

All  whose  hopes  are  higK  or  low, 

Ugly  folks,  who  would  improve, 

Handsome,  who  would  prettier  grow  — 

Rich  and  poor,  gay,  wise  and  witty, 

Leave,  at  earliest  dawn,  the  city. 


40  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

IX. 

Exercise  will  use  his  brushes 
With  a  Painter's  matchless  skill, 

Covering  palest  cheeks  with  blushes, 
Giving  eyes  new  power  to  kill : 

O,  then,  slumber  not,  I  pray  — 

Go,  and  welcome  jocund  May ! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  41 


TO    WILLIAM    LADD, 


THE    DISTINGUISHED    ADVOCATE    OF    PEACE. 


THE  conquerors  of  the  earth  have  had  their  day  — 

Their  fame  lies  weltering  in  a  bloody  shroud ; 
As  Crime  and  Desolation  haste  away, 

So  fade  their  glory  and  their  triumphs  proud. 
Great  advocate  !  a  fairer  wreath  is  thine, 

Base  Envy  cannot  soil,  nor  Time  destroy ; 
Thou  art  enlisted  in  a  cause  divine, 

Which  yet  shall  fill  all  earth  and  heaven  with  joy. 
To  calm  the  passions  of  a  hostile  world ; 

To  make  content  and  happiness  increase ; 
In  every  clime  to  see  that  flag  unfurled, 

Long  since  uplifted  by  the  Prince  of  Peace ; 
This  is  thy  soul's  desire,  thy  being's  aim, 
No  barriers  can  impede,  no  opposition  tame. 
4 


42  GARRISON'S    FOE  MS 


TO    MY   WIFE. 


THOU  mistress  of  my  heart !  my  chosen  one ! 

To  what  shall  I  my  love  for  thee  compare  ? 

Not  to  the  star  that  lights  the  upper  air, 
For  that  goes  out  when  Night's  career  is  run : 
Not  to  the  moon,  which  clouds,  opaque  and  dun, 

Obscurely  hide  —  though  beautiful  and  fair, 

Marks  of  inconstancy  its  features  wear : 
Not  to  the  flaming,  overheated  sun  : 
Not  to  the  trusty  needle,  ever  pointing  North ; 

For,  though  attracted,  it  vibration  knows. 
Nor  star,  moon,  sun,  nor  needle,  can  show  forth 

The  steadfast  love  that  in  my  bosom  glows : 
Bright  is  the  flame  —  undying  as  thy  worth  — 

Changeless  as  Truth,  and  chaste  as  wintry  snows. 


GARRISON'S    POEMS 


TO    THE    SAME. 


HELEN,  if  thus  we  tenderly  deplore 

Our  separation  for  a  few  brief  days, 

Yearning  upon  the  much  loved  one  to  gaze, 
With  admiration  and  delight  once  more  — 
Lavish  of  sighs,  and  tears  that  vainly  pour : 

Ah  !  what  must  be  the  misery  that  preys 

Upon  their  hearts  —  ah !  what  the  woes  that  craze 
Their  brains,  who  pine  in  exile  on  our  shore  ! 
Parents  from  children  are  remorseless  torn  ! 

The  infant  from  the  mother !  and  the  wife 
From  the  distracted  husband !  —  they  are  borne 

Away  in  chains,  no  more  to  meet  in  life ! 
In  vain  they  shriek,  and  supplicate,  and  mourn  — 

Tortures  and  blows  shall  quell  Affection's  strife. 


44  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


TO  MY  FIRST-BOM. 


I. 

HEAVEN'S  long-desired  gift !  my  first-born  child ! 

Pledge  of  the  purest  love !  my  darling  son ! 

Now  do  I  feel  a  father's  bliss  begun,  — 
A  father's  hopes  and  fears,  —  babe  undefiled ! 
Should'st  thou  be  spared,  I  could  be  reconciled 

Better  to  martyrdom,  —  so  may  be  won 

Freedom  for  all,  and  servile  chains  undone. 
For  if,  amid  this  conflict,  fierce  and  wild, 
With  the  stout  foes  of  God  and  man,  I  fall, 

Then  shalt  thou  early  fill  my  vacant  post, 
And,  pouring  on  the  winds  a  trumpet-call, 

Charge  valiantly  OPPRESSION'S  mighty  host: 
So  captive  millions  thou  shalt  disenthral, 

And,  through  the  mighty  GOD,  of  victory  boast. 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  45 

II. 

Remember,  when  thou  com'st  to  riper  years, 

That  unto  GOD,  from  earliest  infancy, 

Thy  grateful  father  dedicated  thee, 
And  sought  His  guidance  through  this  vale  of  tears. 
Fear  GOD  —  then  disregard  all  other  fears ; 

Be,  in  His  Truth,  erect,  majestic,  free; 

Abhor  OPPRESSION  —  cling  to  LIBERTY  — 
Nor  recreant  prove,  though  horrid  Death  appears. 
I  charge  thee,  in  the  name  of  HIM  who  died 

On  Calvary's  cross,  —  an  ignominious  fate, — 
If  thou  wouldst  reign  with  the  GREAT  CRUCIFIED, 

Thy  reputation  and  thy  life  to  hate : 
Thus  shalt  thou  save  them  both,  nor  be  denied 

A  glittering  crown  and  throne  of  heavenly  state  ! 


Ill 

Flesh  of  my  flesh !  now  that  I  see  thy  form, 
And  catch  the  starry  brilliance  of  thine  eyes, 
And  hear  —  sweet  music !  thy  infantile  cries, 
And  feel  in  thee  the  life-blood  beating  warm, 
Strange  thoughts  within  me  generate  and  swarm ; 


40  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Streams  of  emotion,  overflowing,  rise ; 

Such  joy  thy  birth  affords,  and  glad  surprise, 
O  nursling  of  the  sunshine  and  the  storm  ! 
Bear  witness,  Heaven !  do  I  hate  Slavery  less,  • 

Do  I  not  hate  it  more,  intensely  more,  — 
Now  this  dear  babe  I  to  my  bosom  press  ? 

My  soul  is  stirred  within  me  —  ne'er  before 
Have  horrors  filled  it  with  such  dire  excess, 

Nor  pangs  so  deep  pierced  to  its  inmost  core  ! 


IV. 

Bone  of  my  bone  !  not  all  Golconda's  gold 
Is  worth  the  value  of  a  hair  of  thine ! 
Yet  is  the  Negro's  babe  as  dear  as  mine  — 

Formed  in  as  pure  and  glorious  a  mould ; 

But,  ah !  inhumanly  'tis  seized  and  sold ! 
Thou  hast  a  soul  immortal  and  divine, 
My  priceless  jewel !  —  In  a  sable  shrine 

Lies  a  bright  gem,  '  bought  with  a  price '  untold 

A  little  lower  than  th'  angelic  train 

Art  thou  created,  and  a  monarch's  power, 

My  potent  infant !  with  a  wide  domain, 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  47 

O'er  beast,  bird,  fish,  and  in-sect,  is  thy  dower: 
The  Negro's  babe  with  thee  was  made  to  reign  — 
As  high  in  dignity  and  worth  to  tower ! 


V. 

O,  dearest  child  of  all  this  populous  earth ! 

Yet  no  more  precious  than  the  meanest  slave  ! 

To  rescue  thee  from  bondage,  I  would  brave 
All  dangers,  and  count  life  of  little  worth, 
And  make  of  stakes  and  gibbets  scornful  mirth ! 

Am  I  not  perilling  as  much  to  save, 

E'en  now,  from  bonds,  a  race  who  freedom  crave  ? 
To  bless  the  sable  infant  from  its  birth  ? 
Yet  I  am  covered  with  reproach  and  scorn, 

And  branded  as  a  madman  through  the  land ! 
But,  loving  thee,  FREE  ONE,  my  own  first-born, 

I  feel  for  all  who  wear  an  iron  band  — 
So  Heaven  regard  my  son  when  I  am  gone, 

And  aid  and  bless  him  with  a  liberal  hand ! 


48  GARRISON'S    POEMS 


TO  BENJAMIN  LUNDY. 


SELF-TAUGHT,  unaided,  poor,  reviled,  contemned  — 

Beset  with  enemies,  by  friends  betrayed ; 
As  madman  and  fanatic  oft  condemned, 

Yet  in  thy  noble  cause  still  undismayed! 
Leonidas  could  not  thy  courage  boast ; 

Less  num'rous  were  his  foes,  his  band  more  strong ; 
Alone,  unto  a  more  than  Persian  host, 

Thou  hast  undauntedly  given  battle  long. 
Nor  shalt  thou  singly  wage  th'  unequal  strife ; 

Unto  thy  aid,  with  spear  and  shield,  1  rush, 
And  freely  do  I  offer  up  my  life, 

And  bid  my  heart's  blood  find  a  wound  to  gush  ! 
New  volunteers  are  trooping  to  the  field  — 
To  die  we  are  prepared — but  NOT  AN  INCH  TO  YIELD  ! 


49 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  THE  SAME. 


THANK  God,  that  though  thy  body  Death  has  slain, 

Thy  quenchless  spirit  nothing  could  subdue ; 

That  though  thou  art  removed  from  mortal  view, 
Thou  livest  ever  more  —  and  not  in  vain ! 
Our  loss  is  but  thine  everlasting  gain ! 

Of  FREEDOM'S  friends,  the  truest  of  the  true 

Wast  thou,  as  all  her  deadly  foes  well  knew ! 
For  bravely  her  good  cause  thou  didst  maintain. 
No  threats  could  move,  no  perils  could  appal, 

No  bribes  seduce  thee,  in  thy  bright  career: 
O,  many  a  fettered  slave  shall  mourn  thy  fall, 

And  many  a  ransomed  one  let  drop  the  tear ; 
A  Nation,  wakened  by  thy  trumpet-call  — 

The  World  itself —  thy  memory  shall  revere  ! 


50  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


ON  LEAVING  MY  NATIVE  LAND 

'.  '}     f  £r  0  H  'I  }£    TTTf  T    ': '  7 

FOR    ENGLAND,    MAY,    1833. 


UNTO  the  winds  and  waves  I  now  commit 

My  body,  subject  to  the  will  of  Heaven; 
Its  resting-place  may  be  the  watery  pit  — 

'Tis  His  alone  to  take,  who  life  has  given. 
But,  O  ye  elements !  the  deathless  SOUL, 

Impalpable,  out-soaring  time  and  space, 
Submits  not  to  your  mightiest  control, 

Nor  meanly  dwells  in  any  earthly  place. 
Ocean  may  bleach,  earth  crumble,  worms  devour, 

Beyond  identity,  its  wondrous  frame ; 
Decay  blights  not  the  Spiritual  Flower, 

Nor  age  suppresses  the  ethereal  name : 
Thus  thy  dread  sting,  O  DEATH  !  I  dare  to  brave  — 
Thus  do  I  take  from  thee  the  victory,  O  GRAVE  ! 


51 


THE  PRINCE  OF   PHILANTHROPISTS. 


I. 

SAVIOUR  !  though  by  scorn  requitod, 

Ofterier  than  by  gratitude, 
Still,  on  earth,  thy  soul  delighted, 

Constantly,  in  DOING  GOOD. 

II. 

Wealth,  complexion,  grandeur,  station, 
Vain  distinctions  were  to  thee ; 

LOVE  like  thine,  nor  caste,  nor  nation, 
Bounded  its  Infinity ! 


52  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Ill 

Thou  didst  heal  the  lame  —  the  dying  ; 

Feed  the  multitude  with  bread ; 
Not  a  suppliant  denying ; 

Raising  up  to  life  the  dead ! 

IV. 

Not  with  such  thy  mercy  ended  — 
Not  alone  were  these  restored ; 

In  thy  character  were  blended 
All  divinest  traits,  O  Lord  ! 

V. 

Sunk  in  hopeless  depravation,  — 
Great  Physician  of  the  soul  ! 

Dreaming  not  of  restoration, 

Thou  the  sin-diseased  made  whole. 

VI. 

Though  the  powers  of  hell  assailed  thee, 
Sought  with  demon  hate  thy  life, 

Never  once  thy  courage  failed  thee, 
Never  blenched  thou  in  the  strife. 


GARRISON     S     POEMS. 

VII 

Like  a  conqueror,  thoti  didst  trample 
On  the  things  of  sense  and  time : 

O,  how  wondrous  thy  example  — 
How  resplendent  —  how  sublime  ! 

VIII. 
Though  for  us  thy  life  thou  gavest, 

And  thy  blood  on  Calvary  spilt, 
By  an  inward  power  thou  savest, 

Cleansing  us  from  sin  and  guilt. 

IX. 
As  the  WAY,  to  glory  leading, 

As  the  TRUTH,  that  sets  us  free, 
As  the  LIFE,  from  GOD  proceeding, 

SAVIOUR  !  do  we  honor  thee. 

X. 

'  FOLLOW  ME,'  is  thy  direction ; 

In  thy  footsteps  will  we  tread ; 
Thus  attaining  to  perfection, 

Kept  through  faith  in  Thee,  our  HEAD. 


54  GARRISON'S    FOEM&. 

* 


HARRIET  MARTINEAU 


ENGLAND  !  I  grant  that  them  dost  justly  boast 

Of  splendid  Geniuses  beyond  compare ; 

Men  great  and  gallant  —  Women  good  and  fair  — 
Skilled  in  all  arts,  and  filling  every  post 
Of  learning,  science,  fame  —  a  mighty  host ! 

Poes  divine,  and  Benefactors  rare  — 

Statesmen  —  Philosophers  —  and  they  who  dare 
Boldly  to  explore  Heaven's  vast  and  boundless  coast. 
To  one  alone  I  dedicate  this  rhyme, 

Whose  virtues  with  a  starry  lustre  glow ; 
Whose  heart  is  large,  whose  spirit  is  sublime, 

The  friend  of  Liberty,  of  Wrong  the  foe  : 
Long  be  inscribed  upon  the  roll  of  Time, 

The  name,  the  worth,  the  works,  of  HARRIET 
MARTINEAU.  ! 


GARRISON'S    TOEMS.  55 


TO  ELIZABETH   PEASE, 


OF  DARLINGTON,   ENGLAND. 


A  NATIVE  dignity  and  gentle  mien; 

An  intellect  expansive,  clear  and  strong ; 

A  spirit  that  can  tolerate  no  wrong ; 
A  heart  as  large  as  ever  yet  was  seen ; 
A  soul  in  every  exigence  serene, 

In  which  all  virtuous  excellencies  throng : 

These,  best  of  women !  all  to  thee  belong : 
What  more  of  Royalty  has  England's  Queen  ? 
Thy  being  is  absorbed  in  doing  good, 

As  was  thy  LORD'S,  to  all  the  human  race ; 
With  courage,  faith,  hope,  charity  endued, 

All  forms  of  wretchedness  thou  dost  embrace ; 
Still  be  thy  work  of  light  and  love  pursued, 

And  thy  career  shall  angels  joy  to  trace. 


56  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


ON  THE  DEATH  OF  JAMES  CROPPER, 


THE   ENGLISH  PHILANTHROPIST. 


CROPPER!  among  the  wise,  the  great,  the  good, 

The  friends  of  MAN,  whate'er  his  caste  or  clime, 
Thy  memory  shall  be  hailed  with  gratitude  — 

Thy  labors  honored  to  the  end  of  time ! 
Thine  was  a  soul  with  sympathy  imbued, 

Broad  as  the  earth,  and  as  the  heavens  sublime ; 
Thy  godlike  object,  steadfastly  pursued, 

To  save  thy  race  from  misery  and  crime. 
Mourn,  England !  for  the  loss  thou  hast  sustained, 

And  let  the  nations  of  the  earth  lament, 
With  spirit  broken,  and  with  grief  unfeigned ; 

And  to  her  tears  let  LIBERTY  give  vent; 
A  star  of  glory  has  in  darkness  waned  — 

No  more  on  earth  survives  the  good  man  eloquent. 


CHRISTIAN    REST. 


'  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  wiH  giv« 
you  REST.' — Jesus  Christ. 
'  For  we  who  have  believed  do  enter  into  BEST.' — Paid. 


If  thou  should'st  fail  to  find  true  rest 

On  earth,  thou  'It  find  it  not  in  heaven ; 
Here  must  it  dwell  within  thy  breast, 

Or  thou  must  tempest-tost  be  driven. 
For  what  is  REST  ?     Not  indolence 

Of  body,  or  of  mind,  or  soul ; 
Not  in  the  loss  of  sight  or  sense  — 

Not  in  the  grave,  our  earthly  goal. 
It  is  not  freedom  from  '  the  ills 

That  flesh  is  heir  to '  —  sickness,  pain, 
5 


58  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Malice  that  wounds,  or  Death  that  kills, 

Temptation's  lure,  or  Penury's  chain. 
In  vain  in  Nature's  solitude 

'Tis  fondly  sought  —  in  hermit's  cell, 
Where  stranger-footsteps  ne'er  intrude  — 

On  mountain-top,  in  silent  dell : 
It  reigns  not  in  the  peasant's  cot, 

Nor  in  the  palace  of  the  king ; 
It  is  not  found  by  chance  or  lot, 

'  T  is  not  a  partial,  birth-right  thing. 
Gold  cannot  buy,  nor  valor  win, 

Nor  power  command,  nor  station  gain  it ; 
Whatever  bears  a  taint  of  sin, 

Unpurified,  cannot  obtain  it. 
Thou  may'st  have  beauty,  wit,  and  parts, 

That  shall  secure  thee  vast  acclaim, 
And  be  the  idol  of  all  hearts, 

And  gather  universal  fame ; 
And  by  the  potentates  of  earth 

Be  honored  as  a  chosen  guest; 
And  be  exalted  from  thy  birth  — 

Yet  never  know  one  hour  of  rest ! 
Thou  may'st  upon  thy  very  knees 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  59 

Have  gone  on  many  a  pilgrimage, 
And  far  excelled  all  devotees, 

That  ever  trod  this  mortal  stage, 
In  self-inflicted  agonies, 

All  sinful  lusts  to  crucify : 
In  vain  thy  tears,  and  groans,  and  cries  — 

Rest,  by  such  acts,  thou  canst  not  buy. 
Thou  may'st  have  joined  some  chosen  sect, 

And  given  thy  sanction  to  a  creed, 
And  been  pronounced  among  th'  elect, 

And  zealous  been  in  word  and  deed  — 
Most  orthodox  of  proselytes, 

Strict  in  observing  seasons,  days, 
Church  order,  ceremonies,  rites, 

Constant  at  church  to  pray  and  praise  — 
Munificent  in  all  good  works, 

That  with  the  gospel  may  be  blest 
All  heathen  tribes,  Jews,  Greeks  and  Turks  — 

Yet  still  a  stranger  be  to  REST. 
For  what  is  REST  ?     'Tis  not  to  be 

Half  saint,  half  sinner,  day  by  day ; 
Half  saved,  half  lost ;  half  bound,  half  free ; 

Half  in  the  fold,  and  half  astray ; 


GO  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Faithless  this  hour,  the  next  most  true ; 

Just  half  alive,  half  crucified ; 
Half  washed,  and  half  polluted  too; 

To  Christ  and  Belial  both  allied  ! 
Now  trembling  at  Mount  Sinai's  base  — 

Anon,  on  Calvary's  summit  shouting ; 
One  instant,  boasting  of  free  grace  — 

The  next,  God's  pardoning  mercy  doubting ! 
Now  sinning,  now  denouncing  sin ; 

Filled  with  alternate  joy  and  sorrow; 
To-day,  feel  all  renewed  within, 

But  fear  a  sad  relapse  to-morrow ! 
All  ardent  now,  and  eloquent, 

And  bold  for  God,  with  soul  on  fire ; 
At  once,  complete  extinguishment 

Ensues,  and  all  its  sparks  expire ! 
O,  most  unhappy  of  mankind ! 

In  thee  what  contradictions  meet ! 
Seeing  thy  way,  yet  groping  blind ! 

Most  conscientious,  yet  a  cheat ! 
Allowing  what  thou  dost  abhor, 

And  hating  what  thou  dost  allow ; 
Dreaming  of  freedom  by  the  law, 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  G I 

Yet  held  in  bondage  until  now  ! 
This  is  '  the  old  man  with  his  deeds,' 

Striving  to  do  his  very  best : 
'Tis  crucifixion  that  he  needs  — 

Self-righteous,  how  can  he  know  rest  ? 
What,  then,  W_REST?     It  is  to  be 

Perfect  in  love  and  holiness ; 
From  sin  eternally  made  free ; 

Not  under  law,  but  under  grace ; 
Once  cleansed  from  guilt,  forever  pure  ; 

Once  pardoned,  ever  reconciled ; 
Once  healed,  to  find  a  perfect  cure ; 

As  JESUS  blameless,  undefiled; 
Once  saved,  no  more  to  go  astray ; 

Once  crucified,  then  always  dead ; 
Once  in  the  true  and  living  way, 

True  ever  to  our  living  Head ; 
Dwelling  in  God,  and  God  in  us ; 

From  every  spot  and  wrinkle  clear ; 
Safely  delivered  from  the  curse  ; 

Incapable  of  doubt  or  fear. 
It  is  to  have  eternal  life, 

To  follow  where  the  Saviour  trod ; 


62  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

To  be  removed  from  earthly  strife  — 

Joint  heirs  with  Christ  —  and  sons  of  God ! 
Never  from  rectitude  to  swerve, 

Though  by  the  powers  of  hell  pursued ; 
To  consecrate,  without  reserve, 

All  we  possess,  in  '  doing  good.' 
It  is  to  glory  in  the  Cross, 

Endure  reproach,  despise  the  shame, 
And  wisely  count  as  dung  and  dross, 

All  earthly  grandeur,  homage,  fame ; 
To  know  the  Shepherd  of  the  sheep  — 

Be  gentle,  harmless,  meek  and  lowly ; 
All  joy,  all  hope,  all  peace  —  to  keep, 

Not  one  in  seven,  but  all  days  holy  ! 
It  is  to  be  all  prayer  and  praise, 

Not  in  set  form  or  phrase  expressed, 
But  ceaseless  as  angelic  lays  — 

This,  only  this,  is  CHRISTIAN  REST  ! 
He  who,  believing,  hath  obtained 

This  REST,  shall  ne'er  be  troubled  more, 
Though  round  him  lions,  fierce,  unchained, 

For  his  destruction  rage  and  roar ! 
He  may  be  famishing  for  bread, 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  63 

Or  be  of  men  the  jest  and  mirth, 
And  have  no  where  to  lay  his  head, 

No  spot  to  call  his  own  on  earth ; 
Temptation,  with  its  endless  wiles, 

May  strive  to  turn  his  feet  aside  — 
And  Flattery,  with  its  treacherous  smiles, 

May  hope  to  flush  some  latent  pride  ; 
He  may  be  hunted  as  a  beast  — 

As  heretic  dragged  to  the  stake  — 
Placed  on  the  rack  Revenge  to  feast, 

And  Bigotry's  fierce  wrath  to  slake  ; 
Or  whether  earth  or  hell  assail, 

It  matters  not  —  within  his  breast 
Is  joy,  is  peace,  that  cannot  fail  — 

Nought  shall  destroy  his  CHRISTIAN  REST  ! 


64  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


THE    BIBLE. 


O  BOOK  of  books!  though  Skepticism  flout 

Thy  sacred  origin,  thy  worth  decry ; 

Though  Atheistic  folly  give  the  lie 
To  what  thou  teachest ;  though  the  Critic  doubt 
This  fact,  that  miracle,  and  raise  a  shout 

Of  triumph  o'er  each  incongruity, 

He  in  thy  pages  may  perchance  espy ; 
As  in  his  strength  th'  effulgent  SUN  shines  out, 
Hiding  innumerous  stars,  so  dost  thou  shine 

With  heavenly  light,  all  human  works  excelling 
Thy  Oracles  are  holy  and  divine, 

Of  free  salvation,  through  a  SAVIOUR,  telling  : 
All  Truth,  all  Excellence,  dost  thou  enshrine  — 

The  mists  of  Sin  and  Ignorance  dispelling ! 


65 


THE    TRUE    CHURCH. 


CHURCH  of  the  living  GOD  !  in  vain  thy  foes 

Make  thee,  in  impious  mirth,  their  laughing-stock ; 

Contemn  thy  strength,  thy  radiant  beauty  mock : 
In  vain  their  threats,  and  impotent  their  blows  — 
Satan's  assaults  —  Hell's  agonizing  throes  ! 

For  thou  art  built  upon  the  Eternal  Rock, 

Nor  fears't  the  thunder  storm,  the  earthquake 

shock, 

And  nothing  shall  disturb  thy  calm  repose. 
All  human  combinations  change  and  die ; 

Whate'er  their  origin,  name,  form,  design ; 
But,  firmer  than  the  pillars  of  the  sky, 

Thou  standest  ever  by  a  power  Divine  : 
Thou  art  endowed  with  Immortality, 

And  canst  not  perish —  GOD'S  OWN  LIFE  is  THINE  ! 


66  GARRISON'S    POEM 


HOLY   TIME. 


O  THOU,  by  whom  Eternal  Life  is  given,     , 

Through  Jesus  Christ,  thy  well-beloved  Son ; 
As  is  thy  will  obeyed  by  all  in  heaven, 

So  let  it  now  by  all  on  earth  be  done  ! 
Not  by  th'  observance  of  one  day  in  seven 

As  holy  time,  but  of  ALL  DAYS  AS  ONE  ; 
The  soul  set  free  —  all  legal  fetters  riven  — 

Vanished  the  law  —  the  reign  of  grace  begun  ! 
Dear  is  the  Christian  Sabbath  to  my  heart, 

Bound  by  no  forms — from  times  and  seasons  free ; 
The  whole  of  life  absorbing  —  not  a  part ; 

Perpetual  rest  and  perfect  liberty  ! 
Who  keeps  not  this,  steers  by  a  Jewish  chart, 

And  sails  in  peril  on  a  storm-tossed  sea ! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


WORSHIP. 


THEY  who,  as  worshippers,  some  mountain  climb, 
Or  to  some  temple,  made  with  hands,  repair, 
As  though  the  Godhead  specially  dwelt  there, 

And  absence,  in  Heaven's  eye,  would  be  a  crime, 

Have  yet  to  comprehend  this  truth  sublime  :  — 
The  freeman  of  the  Lord  no  chain  can  bear  — 
His  soul  is  free  to  worship  every  where, 

Nor  limited  to  any  place  or  time. 

No  worldly  sanctuary  now  may  claim 
Man's  reverence  as  a  consecrated  pile  ; 

Mosque,  synagogue,  cathedral,  are  the  same,  '  • 
Differing  in  nought  but  architectural  style : 

Avaimt,  then,  Superstition !  in  GOD'S  name, 
Nor  longer  thy  blind  devotees  beguile  ! 


68  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


FREEDOM  OF  THE  MIND. 


HIGH  walls  and  huge  the  BODY  may  confine, 

And  iron  grates  obstruct  the  prisoner's  gaze, 
And  massive  bolts  may  baffle  his  design, 

And  vigilant  keepers  watch  his  devious  ways  : 
Yet  scorns  th'  immortal  MIND  this  base  control ! 

No  chains  can  bind  it,  and  no  cell  enclose  : 
Swifter  than  light,  it  flies  from  pole  to  pole, 

And,  in  a  flash,  from  earth  to  heaven  it  goes ! 
It  leaps  from  mount  to  mount  —  from  vale  to  vale 

It  wanders,  plucking  honeyed  fruits  and  flowers 
It  visits  home,  to  hear  the  fireside  tale, 

Or  in  sweet  converse  pass  the  joyous  hours. 
'Tis  up  before  the  sun,  roaming  afar, 
And,  in  its  watches,  wearies  every  star  ! 

Baltimore  Jail,  May,  1830. 


G9 


TO  THE  HON.  THEODORE  FRELINGHUYSEN : 


ON   READING  HIS    ELOQUENT    SPEECH   IN    DEFENCE     OF  INDIAN   RIGHTS, 
IN   THE   UNITED   STATES   SENATE,   IN   1830.* 


I 

IF  unto  marble  statues  thou  hadst  spoken, 
Or  icy  hearts  congealed  by  polar  years, 

The  strength  of  thy  pure  eloquence  had  broken  — 
Its  generous  heat  had  melted  them  to  tears ; 

Which  pearly  drops  had  been  a  rainbow  token, 
Bidding  the  red  men  sooth  their  gloomy  fears. 

*  It  is  painful  to  be  compelled  to  say,  that  the  course  pursued  by  Mr 
Frelinghuysen,  in  relation  to  the  rights  and  the  wrongs  of  our  colored 
population,  has  not  been  such  as  to  justify  the  unqualified  eulogium  con 
veyed  in  these  lines. 


70  GARRISON'S   POEMJS. 

II. 
If  Honor,  Justice,  Truth,  had  not  forsaken 

The  place  once  hallowed  as  their  bright  abode, 
The  faith  of  Treaties  never  had  been  shaken, 

Our  country  would  have  kept  the  trust  she  owed ; 
Nor  Violence  nor  Treachery  had  taken 

Away  those  rights  which  Nature's  God  bestowed. 

Ill 

Fruitless  thy  mighty  efforts  —  vain  appealing 
To  grasping  Avarice,  that  ne'er  relents ; 

To  Party  Power,  that  shamelessly  is  stealing, 
Banditti-like,  whatever  spoil  it  scents ; 

To  base  Intrigue,  his  cloven  foot  revealing, 
That  struts  in  Honesty's  habiliments. 

IV. 

Our  land,  once  green  as  Paradise,  is  hoary, 
E'en  in  its  youth,  with  tyranny  and  crime ; 

Its  soil  with  blood  of  Afric's  sons  is  gory, 

Whose  wrongs  Eternity  can  tell  —  not  Time ; 

The  red  man's  woes  shall  swell  the  damning  story, 
To  be  rehearsed  in  every  age  and  clime  ! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  71 

V. 

Yet,  FRELINGHTJYSEN  !  gratitude  is  due  thee, 
And  loftier  praise  than  language  can  supply : 

Guilt  may  denounce,  and  Calumny  pursue  thee, 
And  pensioned  Impudence  thy  worth  decry ; 

Brilliant  and  pure,  Posterity  shall  view  thee 
As  a  fair  planet  in  a  troublous  sky. 

VI 

Be  not  dismayed !  —  On  God's  own  strength  relying, 
Stand  boldly  up,  meek  soldier  of  the  Cross  ! 

For  thee  ten  thousand  pray'rs  are  heav'nward  flying; 
Thy  soul  is  purged  from  earthly  rust  and  dross : 

Patriot  and  Christian !  ardent,  self-denying  — 
How  could  we  bear,  resignedly,  thy  loss  ? 

Baltimore  Jail,  May  22, 1830. 


72  GARRISON'S    FOEMS. 


LIBERTY  FOR  ALL. 


THEY  tell  me,  LIBERTY  !  that,  in  thy  name, 
I  may  not  plead  for  all  the  human  race ; 
That  some  are  born  to  bondage  and  disgrace, 

Some  to  a  heritage  of  woe  and  shame, 

And  some  to  power  supreme,  and  glorious  fame  : 
With  my  whole  soul,  I  spurn  the  doctrine  base, 
And,  as  an  equal  brotherhood,  embrace 

All  people,  and  for  all  fair  freedom  claim  ! 

Know  this,  O  man !  whate'er  thy  earthly  fate  — 

GOD  NEVER  MADE  A  TYRANT,  NOR  A  SLAVE  : 

Woe,  then,  to  those  who  dare  to  desecrate 
His  glorious  image  !  —  for  to  all  HE  gave 

Eternal  rights,  which  none  may  violate ; 

And,  by  a  mighty  hand,  th'  oppressed  HE  yet  shall 
save! 


73 


LIBERTY  AND   SLAVERY. 


;  Remember  them  that  are  in  bonds,  as  bound  with  them.' — Paul. 


I. 

NEVER,  O  God!  can  I  too  thankful  be, 
That  thou  hast  given  me  perfect  liberty ; 
That,  from  my  birth,  thine  image  has  been  seen, 
Acknowledged,  and  respected,  in  my  mien ; 
That,  as  an  equal  being,  I  may  claim 
Affinity  with  men  of  every  name ; 
That  man's  inalienable  rights  are  mine, 
And  spiritual  life,  and  light  divine  ! 
6 


74  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

II. 

O,  to  be  freer  than  the  chainless  wind ! 
Beyond  all  human  power  to  hold  or  bind ; 
To  go  or  come,  rise  up  or  seek  repose, 
Labor  or  rest,  just  as  the  mind  shall  choose ; 
To  stand  erect,  with  glory  and  honor  crowned, 
And  no  superior  find  the  world  around : 
'Tis  this  that  makes  existence  bright  and  dear, 
Ennobles  man,  and  gladdens  his  career ! 

III. 

But,  to  be  yoked  and  fettered,  bought  and  sold, 
Like  a  dumb  brute,  or  grovelling  swine,  for  gold ; 
To  have  no  home,  no  country,  and  no  friend,  — 
Unrecornpensed  to  toil  till  life  shall  end ; 
Covered  with  scars,  and  famishing  for  food,  — 
Crushed  and  despoiled,  and  robbed  of  every  good 
O,  direful  thought !  O,  miserable  doom  ! 
Thrice  welcome  death  —  a  refuge  in  the  tomb  ! 

IV. 

If  such  a  horrid  fate  were  mine,  O  God ! 
If  o'er  my  head  were  held  a  tyrant's  rod ; 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  75 

If  my  loved  wife  could  from  my  fond  embrace 
Be  wrested,  flogged,  defiled  before  my  face ; 
If  the  dear  children,  granted  me  by  Heaven, 
Could  to  the  shambles  be  like  cattle  driven ; 
What  floods  of  tears  would  drown  my  weeping  eyes ! 
What  anguish  fill  my  breast !  how  loud  would  be 
my  cries ! 

V. 

How  would  my  spirit  yearn  for  liberty ! 
How  would  I  supplicate  to  be  set  free ! 
By  day,  by  night,  plot  how  my  chains  to  break, 
And  with  my  wife  and  children  to  escape ; 
Call  upon  all  the  friends  of  God  and  man, 
For  our  deliverance  to  toil  and  plan,  — 
Forgetful  of  each  other's  caste  or  creed, 
And  nobly  emulous  our  cause  to  plead ! 

VI 

O,  hence  it  is,  —  remembering  those  in  bonds 
As  bound  with  them,  —  my  yearning  soul  responds 
To  all  their  groans,  each  briny  tear  that  starts, 
Each  direful  pang  that  rends  their  bleeding  hearts  ; 


76  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

And  therefore  do  I  cease  not  to  proclaim 
My  country's  guilt,  barbarity  and  shame ; 
And  therefore  Slavery  do  I  execrate, 
And  warn  the  tyrant  of  his  awful  fate  ! 

VII. 

Down  with  the  hellish  system,  now  —  forever ! 
Break  every  yoke  —  each  galling  fetter  sever ! 
Come  to  the  rescue*,  all  your  means  unite, 
Ye  friends  of  Justice,  Liberty,  and  Right ! 
And,  as  ye  triumph  in  this  holy  cause, 
All  heaven,  all  earth,  shall  ring  with  loud  applause  ; 
A  ransomed  host  a  choral  song  shall  raise, 
And  myriad  voices  shout  JEHOVAH'S  praise  ! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  77 


TO  ISAAC  T.  HOPPER. 


HOPPER  !  thou  venerable  friend  of  man, 

In  heart  and  spirit  young,  though  old  in  years ; 

The  tyrant  trembles  when  thy  name  he  hears, 
And  the  slave  joys  thy  countenance  to  scan. 
A  friend  more  true  and  brave,  since  time  began, 

HUMANITY  has  never  found :  —  her  fears 

By  thee  have  been  dispelled,  and  wiped  the  tears 
Adown  her  sorrow- stricken  cheeks  that  ran. 
If  like  Napoleon's  appears  thy  face,* 

Thy  soul  to  his  bears  no  similitude ; 
He  came  to  curse,  but  thou  to  bless  our  race  — 

Thy  hands  are  white — in  blood  were  his  imbrued: 
His  memory  shall  be  covered  with  disgrace, 

But  thine  embalmed  among  the  truly  great  and 
good! 

*  The  resemblance  of  this  venerable  Philanthropist,  in  person  and  fea 
tures,  to  Napoleon,  is  said,  by  Joseph  Bonaparte,  to  be  most  remarkable. 


78  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


ON   COMPLETING  MY  THIETIETH   YEAR. 


YE  Angels,  and  the  Spirits  of  the  Just! 

Crowned  as  ye  are,  and  throned  in  royal  state ! 

In  full  seraphic  strains  congratulate, 
Upon  his  waning  years,  a  child  of  dust, 
Who,  as  he  fades,  doth  firmer  find  his  trust 

In  GOD  —  and  holds  the  world  at  a  mean  rate, 

But  upon  heaven  puts  a  high  estimate ! 
This  fills  his  soul  with  joy  —  that,  with  disgust. 
The  thirtieth  round  of  my  brief  pilgrimage 

To-day  is  ended  —  't  is  perchance  the  last 
I  shall  complete  upon  this  earthly  stage ; 

For  toils  increase,  and  perils  thicken  fast, 
And  mighty  is  the  warfare  that  I  wage : 

Yet 't  is  my  foes,  not  I,  that  stand  aghast ! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  79 


ON  COMPLETING  MY  THIRTY-FIFTH  YEAR. 


IF  to  the  age  of  three-score  years  and  ten, 
God  of  my  life !  thoti  shalt  my  term  prolong, 
Still  be  it  mine  to  reprobate  all  wrong, 

And  save  from  woe  my  suffering  fellow-men. 

Whether,  in  Freedom's  cause,  my  voice  or  pen 
Be  used  by  Thee,  who  art  my  boast  and  song, 
To  vindicate  the  weak  against  the  strong, 

Upon  my  labors  rest  Thy  benison ! 

O,  not  for  Afric's  sons  alone  I  plead, 

Or  her  descendants ;  but  for  all  who  sigh 

In  servile  chains,  whate'er  their  caste  or  creed : 
They  not  in  vain  to  Heaven  send  up  their  cry ; 

For  all  mankind  from  bondage  shall  be  freed, 
And  from  the  earth  be  chased  all  forms  of  tyranny. 


80  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


TO    APRIL. 


THOU  art  to  Spring  what  sunrise  is  to  Day, 

Sweet  APRIL  !  vivifying  Earth  and  Sea ! 

The  exiled  bird  returns  —  the  humming  bee 
Forsakes  his  hive,  and  wanders  far  away, 
O'er  field  and  brook  —  whole  tribes  of  insects  gay, 

Come  forth,  and  flit  around  right  merrily. 
I  grant,  indeed,  superior  charms  to  May ; 

But  thy  sweet  buds  are  dearer  far  to  me, 
Than  her  superfluous,  many-colored  flowers ; 

More  joy  I  feel,  the  first-born  grassy  spire 
To  see,  than  greenest  fields  and  fairest  bowers  : 

In  full  fruition  there  is  lost  desire : 
Bright  are  thy  smiles,  and  fruitful  are  thy  showers, 

Gentle  thy  mien,  and  modest  thy  attire. 


81 


INDEPENDENCE    DAY. 


PART    I. 
I 

THE  bells  are  ringing  merrily, 

The  cannon  loudly  roar, 
And  thunder-shouts  for  Liberty 

Are  heard  from  shore  to  shore ; 
And  countless  banners  to  the  breeze 

Their  '  stars  and  stripes '  display : 
What  calls  for  sights  and  sounds  like  these  ? 

'Tis  Independence  day! 


82  GARRISON'S    poEMfe. 

II. 

Our  fathers  spurned  the  British  yoke, 

Determined  to  be  free ; 
And,  full  of  might,  they  rose  and  broke 

The  chains  of  tyranny ! 
O,  long  they  toiled,  with  zeal  unfeigned, 

And  kept  their  foes  at  bay, 
Till,  by  their  valorous  deeds,  they  gained 

Our  Independence  day ! 

Ill 
They  fought  not  for  themselves  alone, 

But  for  the  RIGHTS  OF  ALL, 
Of  every  caste,  complexion,  zone, 

On  this  terrestrial  ball : 
To  God  they  made  their  high  appeal, 

In  hope,  not  in  dismay ; 
For  well  they  trusted  He  would  seal 

Their  Independence  day ! 

IV. 
Their  creed  how  just  —  their  creed  how  grand  ! 

'  ALL    MEN    ARE    EQUAL    BORN ! ' 

Let  those  who  cannot  understand 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  83 

This  truth,  be  laughed  to  scorn ! 
Cheers  for  the  land  in  which  we  live, 

The  free,  the  fair,  the  gay ! 
And  hearty  thanks  to  Heaven  we'll  give, 

For  Independence  day ! 


PART    II. 

I. 

O  God !  what  mockery  is  this  ! 

Our  land  how  lost  to  shame  ! 
Well  may  all  Europe  jeer  and  hiss, 

At  mention  of  her  name  I 
For,  while  she  boasts  of  liberty, 

'Neath  SLAVERY'S  iron  sway 
Three  millions  of  her  people  lie, 

On  Independence  day ! 

II 
She  may  not,  must  not,  thus  rejoice, 

Nor  of  her  triumphs  tell : 
Hushed  be  the  cannon's  thundering  voice, 

And  muffled  every  bell ! 


84  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Dissolved  in  tears,  prone  in  the  dust, 

For  mercy  let  her  pray, 
That  judgements  on  her  may  not  burst, 

On  Independence  day ! 

III. 
Lo !  where  her  starry  banner  waves, 

In  many  a  graceful  fold  — 
There  toil,  and  bleed,  and  groan,  her  slaves, 

And  men,  like  brutes,  are  sold ! 
Her  hands  are  red  with  crimson  stains, 

And  bloody  is  her  way ; 
.    She  wields  the  lash,  she  forges  chains, 
On  Independence  day ! 

IV. 
Friends  of  your  country  —  of  your  race  — 

Of  Freedom,  and  of  God ! 
Combine  Oppression  to  efface, 

And  break  the  tyrant's  rod ; 
All  traces  of  Injustice  sweep, 

By  moral  power,  away ; 
Then  a  glorious  Jubilee  we  '11  keep, 

On  INDEPENDENCE  day! 


WEST-INDIA   EMANCIPATION. 


I. 

Lo  !  the  bondage  of  ages  has  ceased ! 

The  chains  of  the  tyrant  are  riven ! 
No  more,  as  a  chattel  or  beast, 

Shall  man  to  his  labor  be  driven : 
Where  the  groans  and  the  shrieks  of  despair 

From  heart-broken  victims  were  heard, 
Songs  of  rapturous  joy  fill  the  air, 

More  sweet  than  the  notes  of  a  bird ! 


86  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

II 

Lo  !  the  gloom  and  the  blackness  of  night 

Have  suddenly  vanished  away, 
And  all  things  rejoice  in  the  light 

Of  Freedom's  meridian  day ! 
Restored  to  their  sight  are  the  blind  — 

No  longer  they  grope  for  the  wall ; 
All  who  seek  may  with  certainty  find, 

For  clear  is  the  vision  of  all ! 

Ill 
Hark !  a  voice  from  the  Isles  of  the  Sea ! 

Its  echoes  are  heard  round  the  world ; 
O,  joyful  its  message  — '  WE  ARE  FREE  ! 

To  the  dust  Oppression  is  hurled ! 
We  are  free  as  the  waves  of  the  deep, 

As  the  winds  that  sweep  o'er  the  earth ; 
And  therefore  we  Jubilee  keep, 

And  hallow  the  day  of  our  birth  ! ' 

IV. 

Praise,  praise  to  the  name  of  the  Lord ! 
What  wonders  his  right  hand  hath  done  ! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  87 

How  mighty  and  sure  is  his  word  ! 

How  great  is  the  victory  won  ! 
The  Power  that  Jehovah  defied, 

In  ruin  and  infamy  lies  : 
O,  spread  the  intelligence  wide  — 

For  marvellous  *t  is  in  all  eyes  ! 

HK— — 

V. 

Columbia  !  O,  shame  on  thee  now  ! 

Repent  thee  in  ashes  and  dust ! 
There  is  blood  on  thy  hands  —  on  thy  brow  — 

And  thou  art  by  Slavery  cursed  ! 
Thy  millions  of  vassals  set  free, 

Away  with  the  scourge  and  the  rod  — 
Then  join  with  the  Isles  of  the  Sea, 

In  a  shout  of  thanksgiving  to  God  ! 


88  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


ON  THE  DEATH  OF  A  FRIEND. 


THE  grave,  dear  sufferer,  had  for  thee  no  gloom, 
And  Death  no  terrors  when  his  summons  came : 
Unto  the  dust  returns  the  mortal  frame, 

But  the  SOUL  spurns  the  bondage  of  the  tomb, 

And  soars  to  flourish  in  immortal  bloom ! 

Thou  hast  attained,  at  last,  thy  glorious  aim  — 
Heaven  and  its  joys!  through  faith  in  Christ's 
dear  name. 

Why  should  we  grieve,  then,  at  thy  early  doom  ? 

If  thy  freed  spirit  be  indeed  at  rest, 
And  singing  sweetly  in  another  sphere ; 

If,  as  we  trust,  thou  art  among  the  blest, 

Redeemed  from  all  that  made  life  painful  here ; 

Songs  of  rejoicing  far  become  us  best, 
For  light  resplendent  beams  around  thy  bier ! 


89 


-., 


THE    POOR    DEBTOR. 


HE  lay  upon  a  loathsome  floor, 
A  log  the  pillow  for  his  head  — 
Nor  straw  nor  blanket  for  his  bed  — 

His  locks  with  age  were  hoar. 

II. 

'Twas  sad  upon  his  blanched  cheek 
To  see  what  furrows  grief  had  made ; 
A  poor  old  man  bereft  of  aid  — 

Ah !  who  his  woes  shall  speak  ? 
7 


ft 


90  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 

Ill 

What  was  the  glorious  sun  to  him  ? 

The  jewelled  sky?  the  earth  in  bloom? 

Confined  within  a  living  tomb, 
Useless  was  every  limb. 

IV. 

As  if  he  were  a  beast  of  prey  — 
The  deadly  foe  of  human  kind  — 
Strong  bolts  and  bars  his  frame  confined, 

Lest  he  should  break  away  ! 

V. 

His  food  was  scanty,  coarse,  unchanged ; 

Through  grates  he  gasped  for  vital  air ; 

Thieves,  cut-throats,  his  companions  were 
From  Virtue's  paths  estranged. 

VI 

Yet,  in  his  country's  proud  defence, 
He  once  his  blood  had  freely  poured, 
And  valiantly  had  borne  the  sword  — 

This  was  his  recompense ! 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  91 

VII 

What  was  his  crime,  do  you  inquire  ? 

The  worst  of  all  —  't  was  poverty  ! 

A  trifling  debt  he  owed  —  and  he, 
For  this,  was  caged  in  ire  ! 

VIII 
Not  long  did  that  old  man  remain 

Within  his  cold  and  gloomy  cell : 

Thanks  to  a  friend !  — What  friend,  pray  tell? 
'  T  was  DEATH  that  broke  his  chain ! 

IX. 

O,  God  protect  the  guiltless  Poor ! 

For  man  towards  man  has  fiendish  grown  — 
His  heart  of  flesh  is  turned  to  stone  : 

How  long  shall  this  endure  ? 

X. 

Shame  on  the  Age,  that  thus  confounds 

Misfortune  with  revolting  Crime  ! 

Shame  on  that  People,  through  all  time, 
That  Innocence  impounds  ! 


92  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


TO    MY    BIRTH-PLACE. 


WHETHER  a  persecuted  child  of  thine 

Thou  deign  to  own,  my  lovely  native  place,* 
In  characters  that  Time  cannot  efface, 

Thy  worth  is  graved  upon  this  heart  of  mine. 

Forsake  me  not  in  anger,  nor  repine 
That  with  this  nation  I  am  in  disgrace : 
From  ruthless  bondage  to  redeem  my  race, 

And  save  my  country,  is  my  great  design. 

How  much  soe'er  my  conduct  them  dost  blame, 
(For  Hate  and  Calumny  belie  my  course,) 

My  labors  shall  not  sully  thy  fair  fame ; 
But  they  shall  be  to  thee  a  fountain-source 

Of  joyfulness  hereafter  —  when  my  name 
Shall  e'en  from  tyrants  a  just  tribute  force. 

*  Newburyport,  Mass. 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  93 


THE  KNEELING   SLAVE. 


'  Am  I  not  a  man  and  a  brother  ? ' 

MY  heart  is  sad  as  I  contemplate  thee, 

Thou  fettered  victim  of  despotic  sway ; 

Driven,  like  a  senseless  brute,  from  day  to  day, 
Though  equal  born,  and  as  thy  tyrant  free. 
With  hands  together  clasped  imploringly, 

And  face  upturned  to  Heaven,  (Heaven  shall 
repay !) 

For  liberty  and  justice  thou  dost  pray, 
In  piteous  accents,  and  on  bended  knee. 
Thy  exclamation,  '  AM  I  MOT  A  MAN  ? 

A  BROTHER  ?'  thrills  my  soul !    I  answer  —  YES  ! 
Though  placed  beneath  an  ignominious  ban, 

That  thou  art  both,  all  shall  at  last  confess : 
To  rescue  thee  incessantly  I  '11  plan, 

And  toil  and  plead,  thy  injuries  to  redress. 


94  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


TO    SLEEP: 


AFTER  A  NIGHT'S  INCARCERATION  IN  PRISON. 


THOU  art  no  fawning  sycophant,  sweet  Sleep ! 

That  turn'st  away  if  Fortune  rudely  frown, 
Leaving  the  stricken  one  alone  to  weep, 

And  mourn  his  former  opulent  renown: 
O,  no  !  but  here  —  even  to  this  desolate  place  — 

Thou  com'st  as 't  were  a  palace  trimm'd  with  gold ; 
Its  architecture  of  Corinthian  grace ; 

Its  gorgeous  pageants  dazzling  to  behold : 
No  prison  walls  nor  bolts  can  thee  affright  — 

Where  dwelleth  Innocence,  there  thou  art  found ! 
How  pleasant,  how  sincere  wast  thou  last  night ! 

What  .blissful    dreams    my    morning    slumber 

crowned ! 

Health-giving  Sleep  !  than  mine  a  nobler  verse 
Must  to  the  world  thy  matchless  worth  rehearse. 


GARRISON'S    POEMS.  95 


THE    NEW    YEAR. 


Now  let  there  be  on  earth  an  end  of  sin, 

And  all  contention  cease  throughout  the  world ; 
The  glorious  reign  of  HOLINESS  begin, 

And  Satan's  empire  to  the  dust  be  hurled ! 
Let  PEACE,  at  last,  a  final  victory  win  ! 

Let  WAR'S  red  banner  be  forever  furled ! 
Resolve,  Mankind  !  to  love  and  bless  each  other ; 

Forget  each  hateful  caste,  each  jarring  creed ; 
Behold  in  every  man  a  friend  and  brother, 

And  minister  to  him  as  he  hath  need. 
Are  ye  not  children  of  a  common  Father? 

Then  to  His  will  implicitly  give  heed  : 
So  Crime  and  Poverty  shall  disappear, 
And  perfect  bliss  shall  crown  each  new-born  Year ! 


96  GARRISON'S    POEMS. 


THE    DYING    YEAR. 


THOU  brief,  eventful,  fleeting,  dying  Year ! 

O,  that  with  thee  might  die  all  mortal  feud ! 
Wrath,  Hatred,  Malice,  Envy,  Lust,  and  Fear  — 

All  of  Sin's  hellish  and  accursed  brood  ! 
For,  oh !  what  woes,  what  crimes,  what  horrors  dire, 

Torment,  affright,  and  curse  the  human  race ! 
O,  Prince  of  Peace  !  Emanuel !   Messiah ! 

Make  Earth,  as  Heaven,  a  holy  dwelling-place  ! 
Are  not  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  thine  own, 

By  promise,  and  a  rich  inheritance  ? 
Then  seize  the  sceptre,  and  ascend  thy  throne, 

And  let  thy  cause  from  shore  to  shore  advance ; 
And  from  the  river  to  remotest  sea, 
Let  there  go  up  the  shout  of  victory  ! 


993Q26 


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